The goal of the Duke Skin Disease Research Core Center (SDRC) is to advance our understanding of the biology and pathogenesis of skin diseases leading to improved treatment of skin diseases. Critical to this process and to the translation of basic sciences findings into clinical medicine is the availability of tissue, serum, plasma and cells from well characterized patients with skin diseases. The Duke SDRC Tissue Procurement and Analysis Core has the long term goal of developing a highly robust collection of human tissue, serum and cells from well characterized patients with skin diseases that will provide current investigators material for translational and mechanistic studies of disease and to provide new investigators material to test compelling hypothesis regarding mechanism of skin disease or potential treatment. In addition, the tissue analysis core will provide investigators utilizing the animal model and tissue engineering core access prospectively and during the course of study to expert dermatopathology (animal and human) enhancing the quality and efficiency of animal model studies. Expert dermatopathology consultation will also be made available to investigators engaged in translational and clinical human research. This goal will be accomplished through addressing three specific aims: 1) Provide broad access to tissue banking for human samples. 2) Provide access to banked samples for research in skin biology and disease. 3) Provide expert human and animal pathology support. In support of Aim 1, the Core will provide SDRC investigators access to a dedicated clinical research coordinator to facilitate tissue acquisition and an advanced practice provider to obtain skin biopsies, blood samples or other biological material for research;these individuals will be incorporated into existing tissue infrastructures. The core will allow broad, equitable access to well characterized tissue by SDRC members and other Duke investigators under direction the SDRC Executive Committee.

Public Health Relevance

High quality, well characterized tissue, serum, plasma and cell samples from patients with skin disease is needed to translate laboratory findings into clinical application and to test hypotheses regarding disease pathogenesis. This Core will provide SDRC and other Duke investigators broad, equitable access to these valuable biospecimens relevant to skin biology and disease and to expert pathology evaluation.